In its February 2008 issue, Golf Magazine’s cover story, called “Revealed: The BEST BALL FOR YOU!“, made use of a little science to make golf ball recommendations to players based on handicap and other factors. What they accomplished is what I wish I had the resources to accomplish when I did a post on selecting a golf ball in August 2007. Their golf ball ratings are quite extensive. Golf Magazine scientifically tested the spin, distance, and feel characteristics of 54 different golf balls to help players decide which one to use. It’s quite a comprehensive comparison, and I highly recommend checking it out (I’ll link here when it hits the website note: the article has since been removed – Mike). The side by side comparisons of distance, feel, and spin were quite enlightening. That’s really why I brought this up. I thought I’d mention it because I think you’ll find it useful, but I really want to revisit the review of the Nike One Platinum that I did in November. You may recall that it
Learning From Feedback Devices
Over the years, I’ve never really been into using golf feedback devices to learn. It always makes me think of that scene in the movie Tin Cup where Roy has a hopeless case of the shanks and Molly catches him in his trailer dressed head to toe in the same golf gadgets that he denounced as junk early in the film. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against using them. I’m just selective because I think that while many have sound principles behind them, trying to mold every swing into the same thing is not always a good idea. And, some of the ones on the market are just plain junk. Sometimes, it is a good idea to mold certain things the same way for everyone, and that’s why I brought this up. I’ve had my eye on several of the feedback devices that Dave Pelz has produced over the years. After reading his books and learning about the science behind it all, I’m pretty confident in him and his devices. Recently, I acquired a
Keeping Sharp Wedge Grooves
I think we all sort of intuitively know that new, sharp wedge grooves are best for getting spin around the greens. Well, that fact was scientifically verified in the January 2007 issue of Golf Magazine (p 99). Hot Stix Golf, an independent club fitting lab, conducted an experiment to show just how much worn grooves affect ball spin on wedge shots. They tested two 56-degree sand wedges. One, a new Titleist Vokey Spin Milled wedge, and the other, a Wilson Staff wedge, circa 1987. The results were somewhat surprising to me. Well, the magnitude, anyway. They showed that on a 25 yard pitch, the ball spin from the new wedge was close to double the spin of the old wedge. It went from nearly 5000 rpm to less than 2500 rpm. This directly translates to stopping power on the greens. With short pitches, higher spin means more control and shots check and stop more quickly, meaning you have an easier time pinpointing a target. I’ve noticed this effect myself, but to see it in actual
Wedge Gaps Part Deux
In July, I wrote a post concerning my move to four wedges to create better yardage gaps from within scoring range (100 yards). You might recall that I dropped my 4-iron and got a few new wedges, replacing my existing pitching wedge in the process. You may further recall that replacing the pitching wedge from my Callaway X-16 set with a Cleveland 588 left me with 3 additional degrees of loft on my pitching wedge. At the time, I had intended to get a degree or two added to my 9-iron (by having it bent to add loft), but I never did because I plan on getting new irons for next season. I thought I could make do, but it caused some problems. I went from 46 degrees to 49 degrees with my pitching wedge. Between that and the different model clubs, for a full finesse wedge swing, I went from about 130 yards with my old wedge to about 115 yards with the new one. My 9-iron carries close to 140 yards. That leaves
Selecting a Golf Ball
I’ve been asked before what kind of ball a specific player should play. The easy answer is that there is no easy answer. It used to be that certain designs were better suited certain players. For instance, when I took up the game, you would see better players using wound balata balls because of the increased spin that they provided. But those weren’t as suitable for higher handicap players because the spin they see is usually to the side. So, two-piece balls were more appropriate. Today things are not as cut and dry. Technology in ball design has rocketed to unprecedented levels. You almost need degrees in engineering and chemistry just to understand what’s going on. In fact, I’d be surprised if anyone can really recommend the best ball for you, unless that person understands your game well, as in the case of your golf pro, or better yet, a fitter who has done computerized launch analysis on your swing. So, while I can’t recommend a specific ball to you, I think I can give
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